Package of milk cartons and the process of making the package



April 11, 1967 PACKAGE OF MILK CARTONS AND THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE PACKAGE E. B. OUTWATER 3,313,406

Filed July 29, 1963 as O O O C Y L 2 i2 38 J39- I 37 27 4|. I42 ,43 I gag *h a g}; If I n O o O 0 T WLK M|I l\ MILK MILK 4 4 /35 L9 3g 0 o O 0 F I 6.3

O O O O /ns *F O O O O INVENTOR. I4 ERIC B. OUTWATER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,313,496 PACKAGE 0F MILK CARTGNS AND THE PRGCESS ()F MAKING THE PACKAGE Eric B. Outwater, New York, N.Y., assignor to International Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Juiy 29, 1963, Ser. No. 298,270 Claims. (Cl. 206--65) This invention relates to a unique process and product of packaging liquids. More particularly, it relates to the packaging of a plurality of smaller liquid-containing cartons made from paperboard in a larger, but light-weight and conveniently disposable, paperboard carrier.

Glass milk bottles and the newer paperboard milk containers which are coated with waxes, thermoplastic resins, or combinations thereof are today transported from dairies to retail outlets or the home in heavy cases made from wood and metal or somewhat lighter molded plastic or particleboard racks. These cases and racks give rise to serious handling and maintenance problems. Ordinarily, the dairymen must utilize a second truck to pick them up when empty and after a first truck and driver have delivered them full. Once the cases and racks are returned to the dairy, they must be scrubbed and steamed in accordance with local health regulations before they can be used again, And, of course, their initial cost is not inconsiderable.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate all of the foregoing problems and to provide a means for transporting paperboard folding cartons adapted to contain milk and other beverages or liquids and which are strong, light-weight, require no return to the source from which they emanate, and are readily disposable by their recipient, all at a minimum of cost.

In accordance with the present invention, the smaller, more numerous, paperboard cartons which are normally rectangular in cross section, are packaged and transported not in heavy wood and metal cases or bulky plastic racks, but in paperboard carriers made from bleached kraft stock or the like and, if desired, attractively decorated with advertising indicia, handling instructions, or other matter by means of printing or adhered labels. It has been found that when, for example, twenty one-quart or twelve onehalf gallon filled thermoplastic-coated paperboard, gable top milk cartons are placed erectly in even rows in such a carrier and one or more corrugated paperboard brace members or dividers are placed between the rows, the resulting unit has suificient strength to permit a ZOO-lb. man to stand thereon without crushing either the carrier or its contents or so damaging them as to make them undeliverable.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should be had to the attached drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of a substantially rectangular, one-piece blank from which a carrier of the present invention can be formed;

FIGURE 2 shows a plan View of the carrier formed from the blank of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows an end view of the carrier of FIG- URE 2 loaded with smaller containers; and,

FIGURE 4 shows a sectional view taken along line 44 of the loaded carrier of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 1 depicts the several elements of a preferred carrier blank for use in accordance with the present invention. These elements include bottom panel 1i), side panels 11 and 12, top panel sections 13 and 14, and longitudinal fold-lines 16, 17, 18, and 19 along which such elements are hingedly connected. It also shows female locking means 15 disposed in first top panel section 13 and male locking means 16 extending from second top 3,3i3,4ii Patented Apr. 11, 1967 panel section 14. Locking means 16 consist of relatively wide winged tabs which are suitably scored to permit their ready engagement with narrower locking means or 3- sided cuts 15. Any number of other locking combinations known in the carrier art would serve as well, particularly since it is contemplated that their disengagement will be of little concern in the non-returnable carrier of the present invention.

FIGURE 1 also shows other elements of the carrier blank including end flap sections 20 and 30; web corner sections 23, 24, 33, and 34; end side flap sections 21, 22, 31, and 32; and, their hinged connection to bottom wall 14) and side walls 11 and 12 by means of lateral foldlines 25 and 35. Finally, it shows the interconnection of end flap sections 2% and 311; web corner sections 23, 24, 33, and 34; and, side flap sections 21, 22, 31, and 32 by means of longitudinal foldlines 16 and 17 and diagonal foldlines 26, 27, 36, and 37.

FIGURE 2 shows the insertion of tabs 16 in threesided cuts or slots 15 for the purpose of closing the carrier formed from the blank of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 depicts the carrier of the present invention loaded with a plurality of smaller thermoplastic-coated paperboard, gable top milk cartons 41, 42, 43, and 44 arranged in rows and ready for shipment. Such cartons may be of the type covered by co-pending Ser. No. 201,- 899, filed June 12, 1962. Corrugated paperboard brace members or dividers 33 and 39 shown disposed between such rows. It will be noted that, in the finished package, end flap sections 28 and 30 are disposed, like side panels 11 and 12, substantially perpendicularly to bottom panel 10. By virtue of this disposition, end flap sections 20 and 30 prevent the untimely discharge or loss of any of the cartons 41 to 44 out of the end of the carrier.

FIGURE 4 depicts a portion of the package of FIG- URE 3 for the particular purpose of showing the means by which end flap sections 20 and 30 are retained in their desired position, i.e., perpendicular to bottom panel 10, during use of the package. These means include side flap sections 21, 22, 31, and 32 and web corner sections 23, 24, 33, and 34 and their disposition parallelly to one another and perpendicularly to end flap sections 20 and 31 achieved by folding these elements inwardly with respect to the carrier body to lie between the carriers side walls and its contents of smaller cartons. Desirably, of course, the carrier is so dimensioned as to permit its contents to wedge relatively tightly the folds thus formed in place and, thereby, hold or maintain end flap sections 20 and 30 perpendicularly to bottom panel 10 and side panels 11 and 12.

Most advantageously, the process of the present invention involves the ordering of the plurality of smaller containers in rows on a flat horizontal surface of a machine, the inserting from above (assuming the cartons are initially vertically erect) of the dividers between the rows, and the wrapping of the carrier blank about the arranged cartons. The tuckingin of the end flap section securing means is a part of or occurs simultaneously with the wrapping. But it is conceivable that, particularly where a small shipment is involved and a manual forming of the carrier is indicated, another sequence of manipulative steps is desirable.

What is claimed is:

1. A package for liquids comprising a plurality of paperboard cartons for liquids arranged in rows, brace members of corrugated paperboard having a height substantially equal to that of the cartons inserted between at least two of the rows, and a carrier formed about the cartons and brace members from a one-piece, substantially rectangular blank and consisting of a bottom panel, side panels hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with and disposed perpendicularly to the bottom panel, first and second top panel sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with and disposed perpendicularly to the side panels, female locking means disposed in the first top panel section, male locking means extending from the second top panel section and engaged by the female locking means, end fiap sections hingedly connected along lateral foldlines with and disposed perpendicularly to the bottom panel, web corner sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines and disposed perpendicularly to the end flap sections and, side flap sections hingedly connected along diagonal foldlines with and disposed parallelly to the web corner sections, the web corner sections and the side flap sections being wedged between the cartons and the side walls.

2. In the packing of liquids, the process comprising the step of arranging a plurality of paperboard cartons for liquids in rows; the step of inserting corrugated paperboard brace members between at least two of the rows; and, the steps of forming a carrier about the cartons and the brace members from a one-piece substantially rectangular paperboard blank and consisting of a bottom panel, side panels hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the bottom panel, first and second top panel sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the side panels, female locking means disposed in the first top panel section, male locking means extending from the second top panel section, end flap sections hingedly connected along lateral foldlines with the bottom panel, web corner sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines to the end flap sections, and side fiap sections hingedly connected along diagonal foldlines with the web corner sections, said latter steps including disposing the side panels perpendicularly to the bottom panel, disposing the first and second top panel sections perpendicularly to the side panels, engaging the male locking means in the female locking means, disposing the end flap sections perpendicularly to the bottom panel, disposing the web corner sections perpendicularly to the end flap sections, disposing the side flap sections parallelly to the web corner sections, and wedging the web corner sections and the side flap sections between the cartons and the side walls.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the cartons are filled, gable top, thermoplastic coated paperboard cartons.

4. In the packaging of liquids, the process comprising the step of arrangement a plurality of paperboard cartons for liquids in rows; the step of inserting corrugated paperboard brace members having a height substantially equal to that of the cartons between at least two of the rows; and, the steps of forming a carrier about the cartons and the brace members from a substantially rectangular paper blank and consisting of a bottom panel, side panels hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the bottom panel, first and second top panel sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the side panels and adapted to provide a carrier closure, end flap sections hingedly connected along lateral foldlines with the bottom panel, and web corner sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines to the end flap sections and adapted to provide end flap position retention, said latter steps including disposing the side panels perpendicularly to the bottom panel, disposing the first and second top panel sections perpendicularly to the side panels to provide the closure, disposing the end flap sections perpendicularly to the bottom panel, and disposing the web corner sections to provide end fiap section position retention.

5. In the packaging of liquids, the process comprising the step of arranging a plurality of paperboard cartons for liquids in rows; the step of inserting corrugated paperboard brace members having a height substantially equal to that of the cartons between at least two of the rows; and, the steps of forming a carrier about the cartons and the brace members from a substantially rectangular paper blank and consisting of a bottom panel, side panels hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the bottom panel, first and second top panel sections hingedly connected along longitudinal foldlines with the side panels and adapted to provide a carrier closure, end flap sections hingedly connected along lateral foldlines with the bottom panel, and means connected to the end flap sections and adapted to provide end flap section position retention, said latter steps including disposing the side panels perpendicularly to the bottom panel, disposing the first and second top panel sections perpendicularly to the side panels to provide the closure, disposing the end flap sections perpendicularly to the bottom panel, and disposing the means connected to the end flap sections to provide the end flap section position retention.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,291,645 8/ 1942 Nordquist 5 3-32 X 2,615,289 10/1952 Hickin 5326 2,693,385 11/1954 Cavaili et a1 206 2,742,182 4/1956 Hickin et a1 220--118 2,749,014 6/ 1956 Russell et a1 22927 2,800,224 7/ 1957 Walter et a1 20665 2,821,299 1/1958 Crary 20665 2,846,063 8/ 1958 Fahrenbach 20665 3,002,328 10/1961 Monroe et al. 3,064,871 11/1962 Wood 22915 3,142,378 7/1964 Lengsfield 20665 3,156,377 11/1964 Wysocki 22948 FOREIGN PATENTS 736,218 9/1955 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

M. L. RICE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PACKAGE FOR LIQUIDS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PAPERBOARD CARTONS FOR LIQUIDS ARRANGED IN ROWS, BRACE MEMBERS OF CORRUGATED PAPERBOARD HAVING A HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF THE CARTONS INSERTED BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO OF THE ROWS, AND A CARRIER FORMED ABOUT THE CARTONS AND BRACE MEMBERS FROM A ONE-PIECE, SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BLANK AND CONSISTING OF A BOTTOM PANEL, SIDE PANELS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG LONGITUDINAL FOLDLINES WITH AND DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE BOTTOM PANEL, FIRST AND SECOND TOP PANEL SECTIONS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG LONGITUDINAL FOLDLINES WITH AND DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE SIDE PANELS, FEMALE LOCKING MEANS DISPOSED IN THE FIRST TOP PANEL SECTION, MALE LOCKING MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE SECOND TOP PANEL SECTION AND ENGAGED BY THE FEMALE LOCKING MEANS, END FLAP SECTIONS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG LATERAL FOLDINES WITH AND DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE BOTTOM PANEL, WEB CORNER SECTIONS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG LONGITUDINAL FOLDINES AND DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE END FLAP SECTIONS AND, SIDE FLAP SECTIONS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG DIAGONAL FOLDLINES WITH AND DISPOSED PARALLELLY TO THE WEB CORNER SECTIONS, THE WEB CORNER SECTIONS AND THE SIDE FLAP SECTIONS BEING WEDGED BETWEEN THE CARTONS AND THE SIDE WALLS. 